Posts Tagged With: Fujifilm

I am loving the X-E1 for landscape and HDR photography

I know, I have rattled on a fair bit about this camera in the past few months, but I do really think these mirrorless wonders will supersede the DSLR, especially for the majority of the market… I think they call them prosumers… anyway, to me it’s anyone that bought a DSLR for the convenience of interchangeable lenses and of course, the image quality.

The downside of the DSLR is the bulk and the weight, and this has been fixed with the mirrorless camera. The Fuji X-E1 I can carry with me all day, I don’t feel like I am weighed down, even the bag I have for it is small, and is easy to carry all day! In the past, it was a trade off, the heavier it got, the better the image quality.. the lighter, the less image quality and things like shutter lag etc. etc…. The mirrorless camera is lighter, almost like a point and shoot… yet it still has superb image quality! So you can have your cake and eat it too!

Today’s iCandy – The shed by the Harbour

This is a HDR image I have taken with the Fuji X-E1. It is 3 exposures. I had the Fuji mounted on a tripod, and it is really easy to manually do the bracketing by moving the EV dial in between shots. Sure, it would be nice if there was a function for the camera to take bracketed shots at a spacing of 2ev… maybe in a future firmware upgrade (hopefully you’re reading this Fuji R&D). For now, this is a good solution and probably the easiest out of any of the mirrorless camera’s I have seen.

Click on the photo to order yourself a print or to download (please see licensing for the rules!)

I was asked to share one of my XE1 Raw files…

Sure… I have no problem with that! Just make sure you’re happy with my Licensing rules first. If you’re not happy with my rules then just don’t download it… if you promise to play nice… then just click on the download button… warning, it is a 25mb file… (you will need to click on the download button again once you’ve reached my dropbox page)

The X-E1 delivers

Now that I have Photoshop CS6 and I can use camera RAW to process the Fuji X-E1’s .RAF Raw files, I decided to test out the results. I headed out to shoot the sunset and with the Fuji firmly planted on the tripod, I had the 18mm f2 mounted on the front of it and I was ready to take my photo, and decided to use HDR for this one, I used the EV dial to take my 3 exposures, -2, 0, +2.

The 3 exposures in RAW (click on this image for a closer look)

I then took the 3 exposures and imported them into Photomatix (the software I use to create HDR images) and created my tonemapped version. I then did a little crop in photoshop and today’s iCandy is the end result. I am pretty pleased with the image quality of the Fuji and having full RAW file control in photoshop means I can seriously use this camera for landscape shooting.

Today’s iCandy – Bridge Glow

Click on the photo to order yourself a print or to download (please see licensing for the rules!)

Forget the Fuji raw converter…

I think I already had said somewhere here that the Fuji raw converter is about as much fun as giving yourself root canal therapy! During the past week I upgraded to Adobe Photoshop CS6 and that includes the new Camera Raw that handles the Fuji .RAF raw files with ease… Now that I have this ability I will be shooting in RAW on the X-E1 and will run some tests over the coming weeks… but it is good news for those of you considering one of these as this was the ONLY thing that would stop me from seriously shooting with this camera, I will now be using it a whole lot more. I am still waiting for an answer from the developers of my favourite HDR software ‘Photomatix’ to see when it will support RAW files from the X-E1, it will only be a matter of time as it already supports several other Fuji camera’s raw files.

Today’s iCandy – Redline Opera

I like working with car lights to see what creative things happen. Under the bridge this section is single lane, so all you have to do is wait until the cars travelling away from you get the green light and you will get red light trails, the headlights of the waiting cars from the other direction added a nice lighting on the railing to my left…

Click on the photo to order yourself a print or to download (please see licensing for the rules!)

A head to head battle…

I was hoping to do a comparison between the NEX 7 and the X-E1 as I know many people are wondering how they compare. Now Sony has released the NEX 6, the specs of this camera are very close to the specs of the Fuji X-E1 but can it come close to the image quality that Fuji has created?

The Camera Store TV has put these two cameras head to head in the Fuji XE-1 vs Sony NEX-6 Shootout…

Today’s iCandy – Up…or Down?

I worked on this one for a while, and I did a lot more than I would normally do… sometimes I get inspired and carried away when I am processing a photo and use a bit of creative license. I usually have my iTunes playing in the background and just get into a rhythm and in most cases, something good pops out the other end. I don’t normally share any before pics with you, but today I am going to so you can play spot the difference, Here you will see that sometimes, Photomatix doesn’t do a great job… I ended up not using the photomatix image in my final version and just used Photoshop and Topaz Adjust to create the final image. I have also included my “the aliens are coming” version of the pic below (I have no idea what possessed me to make an aliens version… maybe it was the aliens!) – So… that only leaves the question… is this lift going up, or down?

The Before Photo

This is after I had used Photomatix to create my HDR image

And After…

Click on the photo to order yourself a print or to download (please see licensing for the rules!)

Updated with extra pics and some HDR samples

I have been using the Fuji X-E1 for 6 weeks now and have taken a lot of photo’s in all sorts of conditions and find it to perform really well. It won’t be replacing my D800, the Nikon will still remain as my trusty workhorse, but I do find the X-E1 a very capable camera, especially for things like street photography or family do’s where the big DSLR is just cumbersome to take along.

I have also got myself the 18mm f2 lens and find it to be great for everyday shooting. It is a pancake lens, about half the length of the 35m and lighter so it is great and I have it on the Fuji most of the time.

Today’s iCandy – Smile

I posted this on my Facebook page and one of the comments said his name was Danny Lim. Apparently he is seen all over Sydney wearing his messages of Joy. It is always nice when I gesture to someone if I can take a pic and they’re not only happy for me to do so, but they also turn on a smile and a bit of a pose. Thanks Danny!

Your questions answered…

A lot of people must be considering the X-E1 as their next camera… maybe you are too! I get over 100 hits a day on my blog with the X-E1 in the search term and I have had over a dozen requests to test my X-E1 out doing HDR and to post my findings here. Finally… I have done just that.

The X-E1 is a great camera, and the only short fall that I can see at this stage is to read the .RAF RAW files the Fuji creates you need Photoshop CS6 (which I don’t have) or use the Fuji supplied RAW editing software (and it sucks!).

For me, I have my D800 for shooting raw and wanted the Fuji as an everyday walk around camera. It is much lighter than the D800 and the image quality is damn good… I don’t need to shoot RAW for everyday snaps so the whole .RAF RAW file issue doesn’t bother me too much.

I have a page dedicated to the X-E1 that I am always updating and adding photo’s to… you will find it HERE

How does the X-E1 perform when it comes to shooting HDR?

On my recent trip to Fiji I decided to test it out, here is the original photo, this is taken with ‘Average’ metering. Given the dynamic range of the scene the camera is not going to be able to capture all of the detail with the limited dynamic range of the sensor.

The Correct Exposure using ‘Average’ metering

To take the different exposures I need for a HDR image the Fuji is limited in the way that you can do this. You could use the auto bracketing but would need to fiddle with the EV comp dial anyway to get the desired range in the exposures so I like to just use the EV comp dial and forget about the Auto Bracketing function. Maybe they will have a software update like SONY did that will make the Auto Bracketing more HDR friendly. Until then, the EV Comp dial is very easy to access and use.

Selecting +2 on the EV Comp dial

Selecting -2 on the EV Comp dial

After processing the image with Photomatix pro, here is the final HDR image, I used Photomatix Pro, I have tried lots of HDR software and find Photomatix the best. Use the Coupon code ‘ON3LEGS’ for a 15% discount, you can get it from here -> Photomatix DOWNLOAD

I was asked, can HDR be done using the Fuji X-E1?

Being known as a HDR photographer I guess it was only a matter of time before I got this question, and the short answer is YES, the Fuji X-E1 can be used for HDR Photography.

However, it is not as easy as it is with my D800 that takes as many frames I need at 1ev apart using auto-bracketing. The Auto-Bracketing feature on the X-E1 give you the 1ev spacing but only up to 3 frames at a time, so the maximum you can do is -1, 0, +1, when for most HDR I need -2,0,+2. Sony have just released a firmware upgrade that has changes this for the NEX users so I hope to see Fuji follow suit. Until then, the easiest option is to manually change the EV via the dial near your thumb as you take 3 exposures… not ideal but it works!

The X-E1 has a Dynamic Range adjustment, where you are supposed to be able to reduce loss of details in highlights and shadows when shooting a high contrast scene. The highest Dynamic Range setting of 400% can only be used at ISO800 and above, so Noise will start creeping in… not that is matters as I have tested the DR function and could not see enough of a difference to even consider using it so I will stick to Photomatix and Photoshop for my HDR processing.

Here are the results of my test, I used a High Contrast Scene and shot one frame at ISO 200 with the DR function off, and the other at ISO 800 with DR set to the maximum of 400%… you be the judge… (click on image to see a larger version)

I had the metering set to ‘Average’ and I cannot tell the difference!

and here is a HDR image created using the EV Comp dial to get my 3 exposures and then I used photomatix to make the HDR…

Is the Fuji X-E1 the camera for you?

Fuji X-E1

The mirrorless camera is fast becoming a popular choice for photographers… for me it was the smaller size without losing the ability to have interchangeable lenses. I looked at the Xpro1, the Sony NEX7 and the Olympus OM-D and in the end settled on the late to the market X-E1. After taking a couple of hundred frames with the Fuji X-E1 I have started a page with my thoughts and ramblings on this little mirrorless beast! I have really enjoyed shooting with this camera and hopefully my page will help you decide if this is the mirrorless camera for you!

The Sexy One (aka the X-E1)

Fujifilm have really come to the party with this one… I am IMPRESSED! I am planning to start posting my review, thoughts, rambles… whatever you want to call it… Hopefully I will get the Fuji X-E1 page started in the next 48 hours so stay tuned… I am also going to do a X-E1 vs NEX 7 showdown… they’re both great camera’s and I wonder who will come out on top!

Get your camera out and head to Long Reef!

I am looking forward to catching sunset from Long Reef tonight. We have about 20 people in total registered for this walk between g+ and FB so it will be a good chance to catch up with other photog’s, share and learn… Use this link to view and register – The weather is set to be pretty good, there will be a passing shower in the afternoon but this clear by 6pm… I hope to see you there! I am bringing the new Fuji Sexy One… aka the X-E1 mirrorless camera with me if you want to check it out! I also need to finish the Velvia film in the Hassalblad Xpan so It may make an appearance too! Here’s a pic I took last time I was at Long Reef… Cheers, Ben.

Click on the photo to order yourself a print or to download (please see licensing for the rules!)